1889 N43 Allen & Ginter Near-Complete Set (44 of 50 cards)

Collection of forty-four different of the fifty cards comprising the N43 Allen & Ginter "World's Champions" second series set, including five of the six baseball players (missing only Ewing). The N43 series, the rarest of the three Allen & Ginter "Champions" sets, feature the same subjects and designs as the smaller N29 second series Allen & Ginters, but in a larger format and with extra background artwork added to each card's design. Measuring approximately 3 x 3.25 inches, the N43 Allen & Ginters are widely recognized as one of the most attractive sets ever issued. The set features champions and stars of the day from a variety of sports. This is a very crisp, clean, sharp-looking group of these rare cards, including five of the six baseball players and all eight boxers. Missing only the following six cards for completion: Ewing (baseball), Barry (hammer thrower), Bibby (wrestler), Dwight (tennis), Sears (tennis), and Slocum (tennis). Eight cards have been graded and encapsulated by SGC (unless otherwise noted). Condition Composite: Baseball players: Geo. Miller (SGC VG/EX 50, clean front and back), Jas. Fogarty (SGC GOOD 30, clean front with light creases in the upper left corner, very minor paper loss on reverse), James Ryan (PSA VG 3, light soiling, nice image), Chas. Getzin (SGC POOR 10, clean front with a light crease, downgraded due to significant paper loss on the reverse), and John Morrell (SGC GOOD 30, clean front and back, with one crease and corner wear). Twenty-seven of the remaining thirty-nine cards range from Vg to Ex, averaging Vg-Ex, most with clean backs and no paper loss including Ross (SGC VG/EX 50), Myers (SGC EX 60), and Kerrigan (SGC VG/EX 50). The remaining twelve cards have paper loss on the back, but otherwise from the front appear Vg-Ex overall. Almost all of the cards have a far superior appearance than suggested by their technically accurate assigned grades. N43 Allen & Ginters is a very rare set to find complete or near-complete. In fact, in all our years we have never had the opportunity to offer a complete set; this collection of forty-four cards is the closest to a complete set we have ever presented. This is a very attractive collection and an extremely rare opportunity to acquire virtually the entire set, needing only six cards for the complete assembly of a beautiful set of N43 Allen & Ginter. Total 44 cards. Reserve $2,000. Estimate (open).SOLD FOR $8,225.00

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